34 — Wednesday, Novernber 22, 1989 - North Shore News

Three years later even Mr. Fan-
tastic’s most ardent supporters
would have to conclude, if | may
be permitted to paraphrase an
assessment made cf a character in
one of Barbra Streisand’s films,
that he ain’t great and their ain't
much hope...

Branded a fundamentalist zealot,
a bigot, inept, callous and intellec-
tually shailow (among other
descriptions), this province’s pres-
ent premier is the subject of two
new books: Fantasyland by Gary
Mason and Keith Baldrey,
reporters for the Vancouver Sun,
and Fantasy Government by the
Capilano College instructor and
self-styled social critic, Stan Per-
sky.

Fauéasyland and Fantasy Gov-
ernment are, in many respects,
very similar books. Given the fact
that both concentrate on the same
individual and that much of the in-
formztion discussed is a matter of
public secord this is hardly surpris-
ing.

Both delve ints Vander Zalm’s
prepolitical past (Persky’s in rather
greater cletail), both employ the
Whistler convention as a spr-
ingboard for the book as a whole.
Many of the anecdotes recounted
are identical, many of the same
sources are quoted.

Neither bec reflects well on the
Social Credit Party in general and
Socred cabinet ministers in par-
ticular {not a court case, scandal
or other bit of muck is left unrak-
ed) nor hesitates to list the short-
comings of the New Demacratic
Party (NDP) end its often ineffec-
tive role as the party of opposition.

While vou won‘t find any direct
categorization of the premier as a
man unsuited to occupy the
highest office in the province, both
books make such blatant finger-
pointing unnecessary by simply
condemning Vander Zalm through
the crushing weight of evidence
presented.

Hitchcock is better

From page 31

and make it look like he expired
on his property thanks to a clause
in his will. The way home, how- .
ever, is a bumpy one with ferry
strikes, a misplaced corpse and a
wilful aunt (Dorothy McKegg)
along for the ride.

It’s not without laughs, but for a
better treatment of similar subject
matter, nothing can beat Hit-
cacock’s The Trouble With Harry
(MCA Home Video, ***%). It’s an
American film but the director, of
course, was English and very likely
the Noel Coward of death humor.

NORTH SHORE VIEWS
West Van Odeon: Closed due to
labor dispute
Park Royal: The Bear, Look Who's
Talking, Steel Magnolias
Park & Tilford: Dad, Second Sight,
Staying Together, Communion,
Prancer, Fabulous Baker Boys,
Best of the Best
24-hour Hotline: Famous Players:
681-4255, Cineplex: 687-1515

Fine
Continental
Cuisine

n 1986, Bill Vander Zalm was seen by delegates to the
Socred leadership convention in Whistler as the ‘Great
White Hope’ to succeed retiring Premier Bill Bennett.

Lest this give the impression that
Fantasyland (McGraw-Hill Ryer-
son; 323 pp.; $26.95) and Fantasy
Government (New Star, 270 pp.;
$14.95 in paperback, £24.95 in
hardcover) are one ard the same,
there are qualitative differences
between the two.

MIKE
STEELE

book review

It quickly becomes obvious that
Baldrey and Mason were privy to
more insider opinions and infor-
mation than Persky. With their
network of media contacts and
their own immersion in the events
described they were able to pres-
ent a far more co.nplete picture of
the personalities and peccadillos
of the participants. They also hit a
heck of a lot harder than Persky.

A prime example of tnis can be
found in the way both books treat
Vander Zalm’s woeful ignorance
of world events and political
ideologies.

While Persky characterizes
Vander Zalm as uninformed,
Mason and Baldrey demonstrate

the pcint with a devastating anec-
dote.

It seems that one of the Fan-
tasyland authors was interviewing
Vander Zalm when the premier
pointed to a Time-Life book on
Nazi Germany and said ‘‘Lef-
tists."’ The reporter pointed out
that the Nazis weren’t leftists, that
National Socialists is what they
were called but they were in fact
fascists. fo which the premier is
quoted as replying,‘‘Aaaah, same
difference. They were totalitarians,
just like the Communists.”’

From the disasterous infighting
at Whistler through ihe debacles
of abortions, AIDS, conflicts-of-
interest, fraud convictions, labor
disputes, South African politics,
dubious land deals, welfare
schemes, school lunches and the
host of other issues that have seen
the Social Credit party alienating
most British Columbians at one
time or another during the past
three years of Vander Zalm’s
reign, Fantasyland has Fantasy
Government outgunned.

ee

Why did Vander Zalm label his
colleagues ‘gutless’ and when?
What leadership convention vote
did Vander Zaim lose? Did a
leading women’s magazine really
vote Vander Zalm one of the top
ten sexiest men in Canada?

The answers to these and other
questions of earth-shattering im-
portance to us al! can be found in
David Hauka’s Count The Days —
The 1990 Bili Vader Zalin Scan-
dal Datebook (New Star; $12.95).

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Just 15 minutes from North Vancouver.
Enjoy a scenic drive to Horseshoe Bay.

Ee

enero

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